Goodnight, My Angel
by singintoyourself
Summary: -One Shot- Harry tucks five year old Lily in to bed, but she's afraid. What will Harry do to calm her down? Sing to her, of course. To Billy Joel's Lullabye Goodnight, My Angel. Short and sweet. DH spoilers.


_A/N-I'm just playing in J.K. Rowling's sandbox while listening to Billy Joel. In essence, I own nothing but the plot. I will respond to every signed review I get. _

Goodnight, My Angel

Harry Potter was a lucky man. If you asked a random witch or wizard, they would say that Harry Potter was lucky because he survived the Killing Curse twice, fought You-Know-Who several times, survived countless rumors and chases, and finally defeated the Dark Lord. 

If you asked Harry Potter why he was lucky, he wouldn't say anything. He would just pull out his wallet and show you a picture of his family-his loving wife, Ginny, his two adoring sons, James and Albus, and his sweet daughter, Lily. His children were young; they were barely old enough to know why their parents were so famous. They knew that their parents were heroes of the war that ended before they were born, but they didn't know much more then that. Harry Potter was not only a lucky man, but he was a protective parent. 

Lily Potter was only five years old when she learned of what her father really did. She sat in awe as James told her and Albus what their father had done for wizard kind. Lily listened to her older brother as he told her about all the times he fought a man called 'You-Know-Who' and his friends, who were called Death Eaters. She didn't know who You-Know-Who was, but that didn't matter. She was enthralled and terrified by the stories James was telling her. He told her about a prophesy that was made before their dad was born-the prophesy that started it all. The prophesy said that their dad had to kill this You-Know-Who person or be killed by him. Lily was scared, even though she knew that her dad was perfectly alive, sitting in the kitchen with her mother. James told them about Dumbledore's Army; the gang his father formed when he was fifteen to help the resistance against You-Know-Who. The members of the Army fought against You-Know-Who in the Final Battle and a few members fought alongside their father when he went to the Ministry of Magic to get the prophesy. Lily was proud when James said that their mother was among the DA members to go to the Ministry. Then James told them more about the Final Battle. 

James told them about how their father died in the battle. Lily started crying at this point. How could her father be dead if he was sitting downstairs? Had everything she'd known and loved been a lie? 

After being calmed down by James and Albus, Lily learned that You-Know-Who thought her father was dead, but he was only unconscious, floating in the in-between areas of life and death. Albus puffed out his chest importantly when James told them that their dad met and talked to Dumbledore when he was in the in-between. Lily sniffled. She was scared of conflict, which made war terrifying. The thought of her soft, sweet mother firing off spells and curses at people scared her. The thought of her kind, loving father killing anyone was just unfathomable. 

That night her father tucked her into bed. 

"Do you want to hear a story, Lilybean?" He asked, using one of his many pet names for his only daughter. Lily nodded. 

"Which one?" Lily had a large collection of books, many of them gifts from her Aunt Hermione. 

"Yours." She said simply. Harry turned around to face his daughter. 

"Daddy, is what James told us true?" Lily's face was pale and full of fear. Harry sighed. He knew this day would come, but he never thought it would be so soon. 

"I did what I did to save the world and make it safe for my children." He said, his eyes never leaving his daughter's. Harry crossed the room and sat down on the bed next to Lily. Her eyes were wide.

"How did you…?" Harry chucked, and removed something long and fleshy from his pocket. 

"George never forgot that I gave him that starter loan. Let's just say that they won't let me pay at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes." 

"Daddy, I'm scared." Lily clutched at her blankets and her favorite toy-a stuffed lion. Harry looked down at her and smiled reassuringly at her. 

"If it's because of what James told you about Lord Voldemort, you don't have to worry. He's gone, he can never come back." 

"What if he does?" Lily squeezed her lion tight. 

"He can't Lil, Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione and I made sure of that." 

"But James said he had friends who helped him do bad things!" Lily cried. Harry gave her a hug and held her tightly. He was always amazed at his children-their love, their honesty (well, sometimes. They never seemed to be honest when Ginny asked why the cookie jar was empty two hours after she filled it.), and just the fact that they were there. Walking into the Forbidden Forest all those years ago, Harry thought he had given up all chances to have a family and to give his children the life he dreamed of. There was not a single day when Harry was not grateful for the fact that he was alive, and that his family was alive as well. 

"Lily, there will always be people in the world who do bad things. No matter how hard we try to stop them, there will always be badness. But I promise you that I will never ever let anyone of them hurt you, your mother, or your brothers in any way, shape or form. I'll never stop protecting and loving you until the day I die, and even then, I'll still love you." Harry said, wording everything carefully. He could tell that Lily was still very upset; her face was pale and her big brown eyes were glassy, but he didn't want to upset her more. Lily nodded, and hugged her father closely. 

"Do you promise Daddy?" Lily asked, her voice slightly muffled by Harry's shirt.

"I promise Lilybean. Now how about you get some sleep, you look tired." Harry stood up and pulled the blankets around her so she was warm and snug. He kissed her forehead and said, "I love you," before heading out towards the door. He heard her reply with "I love you too Daddy. I love you always.", and Harry smiled. He turned around to look at his daughter one last time before turning out the light when he heard a small voice. 

"Daddy…will you sing me a lullaby?" Lily was sitting up in bed, blankets held tight around her small body. Her stuffed lion was wrapped tightly in her arms. Harry walked back over and sat down on the edge of the bed. 

"You want me to…sing to you?" Harry asked, uncertain. He was never much of a singer, whenever his children asked to be sung to at night Ginny normally handled it. Lily nodded eagerly. 

"Alright, which song do you want to hear? My voice isn't as good as Mummy's though." 

"That's okay Daddy. I'm sure your voice is great. Whatever song you want is okay by me. I just want to hear your voice when I fall asleep." Harry couldn't help but smile when he heard that last sentence. His daughter meant the world to him, just like the rest of his family, but she held a special place in his heart being the only girl. They had a special father-daughter bond that no one could break. 

"Okay, how about a muggle song?" Harry asked, thinking of a good lullaby song for him to sing. Lily nodded. Harry took a deep breath and started singing. It was a song he had heard many times around Aunt Petunia, for she had been a big fan of the man who sang the song.

_  
"Goodnight, my angel,  
Time to close your eyes,  
And save these questions for another day.  
I think I know what you've been asking me,  
I think you know what I've been trying to say,  
I promised I would never leave you.  
And you should always know,  
Wherever you may go,  
No matter where you are,  
I never will be far away."_

Lily's eyes were drooping now. She was taking longer to open her eyes after blinking. She seemed to like the song, as there was a smile on her calmed face.

"_Goodnight, my angel,  
Now it's time to sleep,  
And still so many things I want to say.  
Remember all the songs you sang for me,  
When we went sailing on an emerald bay.  
And like a boat out on the ocean,   
I'm rocking you to sleep.  
The water's dark and deep,  
Inside this ancient heart;  
You'll always be a part of me."_

Lily's eyes were now closed and they hadn't opened in a few minutes. Harry wasn't sure if he had lulled her to sleep or not, so he stopped singing. After a few seconds' silence, Lily opened her eyes. 

"Why did you stop Daddy?" She asked sleepily. 

"I was only seeing if you were awake Lils." He said before continuing where he left off. 

"_Goodnight, my angel,  
Now it's time to dream,  
And dream how wonderful your life will be.  
Someday your child may cry,  
And if you sing this lullaby,  
Then in your heart,  
There will always be a part of me."_

Lily seemed to be asleep fully now. Her eyes didn't open after he stopped singing this time, and her body had gone still. Harry smiled and kissed the top of Lily's head before drawing the blankets around her and moving her from her sitting position into a sleeping one. He took the stuffed lion and laid it next to her, right next to her small arm. He walked back over to the door and watched his daughter sleep before singing the last part of the song.

"_ Someday we'll all be gone,  
But lullabies go on and on...  
They never die,  
That's how you,  
And I  
Will be."_

"I love you Lily." He said softly before turning out the light and shutting the door as quietly as he could. 

Lily Potter opened her eyes again after her father left the room. She smiled to herself and curled up into a warm ball before closing her eyes for the last time that night. 

"I love you too Daddy."


End file.
